Braiding machine



Dec. 4, 1934. A. GAMBA 1,983,223

l BRAID'ING MACHINE Filed'April 4, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 HI miwm 6/ 077% Patented Dec. 4, 1934 i UNITED "STATES PATENT OFFICE I examine Machine 1: Alfred Gamba, Wildegg, Switzerland amificat o April 4, 1934, Serial No. 718.988

f In Switzerland December 9, 1932 6 Claims. (01. Liss -12) i The present invention relates to the arrangement of raceways inrbraidingkmachines and con- "sists 'inprovidingthe base portions of the carriers with: adjustable trip fingers'whioh in cooperation with trip fingers established atthe crossings of the raceways will displace certain switch plates to directthe pathifollowedby the carriers.

1 Theannexed represents a working example of theinvention. Therein'areu v i p t Fig. 1 a .plan of the general arrangement,

Figsi2and 3'vertical sections'on the lines II--II and III-411m Fig. 1,

i Fig. 4 a plan of a parallel movement and .Figsl'and fi plansof fittings for the trip fingers, The Figs. '7, 7a,?7b-and -7c,8, 8a, 8b, 8c and 8d "ahd9, 9a, 9b, 9c, Qctand 9e; are diagrammatical views relating toparticular arrangements of the raceways.

Figs"? represents nineraceways arranged in three rows which 'are touching eachother and are available for two groups of bobbin carriers.

Figs. 7a and 7b represent two paths which can be followed simultaneously by the two groups of bobbmcarri'ers and Fig. "7d represents the arrangement of trip fingers required for obtaining a safe working of the groupsof bobbin carriers.

Fi'g. 8 represents -*six raceways arranged in two rows and which are available for three groups of bobbin carriers.

Figs. 8a, 8b and 80 show the three paths followed simultaneously by said groups and Fig. 8d shows the corresponding arrangement of trip fingers.

Fig. 9 represents nine raceways arranged in three rows which are touching each other and are available for four groups of bobbin carriers.

Figs. 9a, 9b, 9c and 9d show the four paths followed simultaneously by said groups and Fig. 9e shows the corresponding arrangement of trip fingers.

The circular raceways 1 for the carriers 2 are disposed on a circle and cut into a plate 3. The quoit plates 4 are arranged above the racewayplate 3 while the driving gears 5 are mounted rotatably in a recess 6 of said plate and on the supporting posts 8 screwed fast to a base plate 7. Into the carrier axis on the base portion of the carrier and above the two flanges 9 which embrace the quoit plate 4 are stuck four exchangeable trip fingers or pins 10 above one another. These fingers are clamped fast by means of set screws 11 and are extended with their ends to the same distance from the carrier shaft and radially to the raceway in which said carriers are guided by shuttles 19.

Corresponding trip fingers 12 are provided on the axles 13 of switch tongues 14 which axles carry said trip fingers clamped fast between washers 15 by means of nuts 16 said switch tongues being located inyrecessesof the raccwayplate and .facingeach other on the common tangent line of the two circular raceway. These trip f ngers 12 are tongue shaped as shown ,in Fig. '5 and easily exchanged andinserted after loosening the nuts 16. The axles of the two switchtongues 14 extend into-the recess 6-and are made cooperative by means of two double levers 18 connectedby links 1''? to "form a parallel movement. The swinging of one:tongue 14 will therefore force the other tongue to a swing in an opposite sense and will establish thereby for the shuttle 19 at the base of the carriera cross: ing'from the one raceway 1 to the other. The two levers 18 are coupled together by a strong helical spring=20 attached to the hub portionof .75 saidlevers. The object of this arrangementis to reestablish the exact normal median position of the switch tongues after eaoh displacing of these tongues by the trip fingers of the carriers. Any intermediateposition of thetongues is there- 30 by prevented. i

-If it is desired to lock the position of the tongues 14 in a given position this can'be done by means of a slide 22 located on the rim of the raceway plate 3. Oneof the double levers .35 18 having a forked extension is attached by a band 21 to the slide 22 which is guided by screws 26 engaged into a suitable slot of said slide. In the median or normal position, as shown in Fig.

1, the band is bolted to a stop 23 by means of .9 a screw 24 and in the displaced positions the slide may be fixed by tightening the screws 26. In the median position the tongues of the shoes of the spool carriers will travel in their respective circular raceways, while by a displacing of 5 the slide from the median position the bobbin carriers may be turned oil? from one raceway to the adjoining raceway.

Owing to the described arrangement of parts especially of the coupled tongues and the trip mo fingers it is possible to allot to each carrier a predetermined path through the given system of raceways and this only by inserting or removing certain trip fingers at the tongues and the carriers.

In the Figs. '7, 7a and 7b illustrating a raceway system having eight raceways surrounding a central one, the possible paths of two groups of bobbin carriers are shown. Fig. 7a shows the path for one group and 7D for the other. The ;.1.10

twelve switches are numbered 1 to 12 and of the two groups of carriers the group of six is marked with a circle and a point and the group of ten with a circle having a vertical diameter line.

In the Fig. 7c the carrier axles are marked with I, II and the switch tongues with 1 to 12.

In a similar manner in the raceway system of the Figs. 8, 8a,, 8b and three difierent groups of carriers may travel without collision simultaneously on the three paths shown in Figs. 8a, 8b and 8c and as in the first example each carrier will work automatically the difierent switch tongues.

The seven existing switch tongues are numbered 1 to 7 and the possible number of carriers is also 7, two groups of three and 1 group of one carrier. These carriers are marked by a circle with a point, a circle having a vertical diameter and a circle having a horizontal diameter. The axles of the carriers are marked with I to III and the switch tongues with 1 to 7.

In the arrangement according to the Figs. 9, 9a, 9b, 9c and 9d there are four groups of carriers travelling four difierent paths. Here again are twelve switch tongues and numbered accordingly. The number of possible carriers is twelve, in four groups of three, marked respectively with a circle and point, a circle with vertical diameter, a circle with horizontal diameter and a circle with crossed diameters.

In each of the four groups there are three crossings. For the group 1 there are the crossings 3, 4, 6, for group 2 the crossings 2, 4, 7, for group 3 the crossings 6, 9 and 11 and for the group 4 the crossings 7, 9 and 10.

What I claim is:

1. In an arrangement of raceways for braiding machines and in combination, a base plate and supporting posts fixed to said base plates, driving gears having quoit plates attached thereto and mounted rotatably on said posts, and bobbin carriers adapted to be guided by said quoit plates, circular plates fixed to the base plate concentrically to the supporting posts and provided with circular raceways, exchangeable trip fingers provided on the base portions of said carriers,

vertical journalled axles established near the crossings of the raceways, and switch tongues fast to said axles, and removable trip fingers clamped between washers on said axles and adapted to be engaged by the trip fingers of the carriers to determine the path travelled by the carriers.

2. In an arrangement according to claim 1 and in combination, axles carrying trip fingers and arranged in pairs facing each other on the common tangent line of two adjoining raceways, the fingers on the two axles adapted to be engaged by the trip fingers of the carriers.

3. In an arrangement according to claim 1 and in combination, axles carrying trip fingers and arranged in pairs facing each other on the common tangent line of the two contiguous raceways and adapted to be engaged by the trip fingers of the carriers, and parallel movement members connecting said axles.

4. In an arrangement according to claim 1 and in combination, axles carrying trip fingers adapted to be engaged by the fingers of the carriers and arranged in pairs facing each other on the common tangent line of two contiguous raceways, two armed levers fast to said axles, parallel movement members connecting said axles and helical springs connecting the hub portions of said two armed levers forming parts of the'parallel movement; said springs being adapted to 1 reestablish after each displacing the initial position of said switch tongues.

5. In an arrangement according to claim 1 and in combination, bobbin carriers and switch tongue axles each provided with a corresponding number of exchangeable trip fingers adapted to be engaged by each other, said axles being arranged in pairs facing each other on the common tangent line of two contiguous raceways and said trip fingers being removable to establish combinations by which different paths are allotted to the single bobbin carriers.

6. In an arrangement according to claim 1 and in combination locking means on the outer edge of the base plate and adapted to fix an adjusted 1 position of the switch tongues.

ALFRED GAMBA. 

